296 AQUATIC MICROSCOPY FOR BEGINNERS. 



the expression that 'man shall not live by bread alone,' 

 and yet it remains unappreciated by the mass of even 

 so-called enlightened humanity. In common with all 

 • other animals, the engrossing care of man is food for 

 the stomach, while intellectual food remains unknown, 

 is disregarded or rejected." 



I. Scales from Insects' Wings. — Butterflies' wings 

 are profusely covered by minute scales of great beauty 

 of form and color. They differ widely in different 

 kinds of butterflies, and often on different parts of the 

 same wing. Gnats and mosquitoes are also a source 

 of supply for still more minute and peculiar scales. 

 To obtain them from the butterfly, brush the wing 

 with a small camel's-hair pencil, or gently scrape it 

 with the point of a penknife, and examine the fine 

 dust that falls. Gnats and mosquitoes may be allowed 

 to fly about in a small perfectly dry phial, and the 

 scales thus knocked off are to be transferred to the 

 slip by inverting the bottle and tapping it against the 

 glass. The more mosquitoes imprisoned, of course 

 the more numerous will be the scales. The common 

 clothes-moth is also, a scale-bearer. The abundant 

 Lepisma saccharina, a little, flattened, fish-shaped and 

 silvery creature, often seen running about old books, 

 is covered with scales which were at one time used c£s 

 test objects. They may be obtained by tapping the 

 animal against a slide, or by scraping the surface 

 gently. All scales may be examined and mounted 

 dry.- A small piece cut from the wing of a butterfly 

 and viewed as an opaque object, will show the arrange- 

 ment and the method of attachment of the scale-like 

 feathers, a sight well worth seeing. 



